"…Learn To Live The Golden Rule…Don’t You Go Through Life Being A Fool…"
BILLY PRESTON
[featuring George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Madeline
Bell, Doris Troy, Delaney Bramlett, Members of The Temptations and Edwin
Hawkins Singers] - “Encouraging Words” (2010 Apple Expanded CD - Guy Massey,
Steve Rookes, Phil Hicks and Simon Gibson Remasters)
"Encouraging
Words" was the second and last album on Apple Records for
long-time friend and sometimes collaborator with The Beatles - American
keyboardist and Soul Singer Billy Preston. And along with his excellent debut
LP the year before (1969's "That's The Way God Planned It") -
it's not just one of the labels better offerings, it's a criminally forgotten
Seventies Soul-Rock gem - and arguably the best album of his long and
distinguished career.
UK released 25
October 2010 - Apple 5099990823923 (Barcode 5099990823923) breaks down as
follows (54:44 minutes):
1. Right Now
2. Little Girl
3. Use What
You’ve Got
4. My Sweet Lord
5. Let The Music
Play
6. The same Thing
Again
7. I’ve Got A
Feeling
8. Sing One For
The Lord
9. When You Are
Mine
10. I Don’t Want
To Pretend
11. Encouraging
Words
12. All Things
(Must) Pass
13. You’ve Been
Acting Strange
Tracks 1 to 13
are the LP "Encouraging Words" released 11 September 1970 in the UK
on Apple SAPCOR 14 (Stereo only) and on Apple ST-3370 in the USA.
BONUS TRACKS:
14. As Long As I
Got My Baby
15. All That I
Got (I’m Gonna Give It To You)
16. How Long Has
The Train Been Gone
Notes: Tracks 14
and 15 are the 2 bonus tracks given with the 1993 reissue - "As Long As I
Got My Baby" (a Preston original) and "All That I Got (I'm Gonna Give
It To You)" (a co-wrote with Doris Troy). "As Long As I Got My Baby"
was intended to be the B-side of Preston's version of "My Sweet Lord"
on Apple 29 (scheduled for September 1970 release in the UK), but was
withdrawn. All That I Got (I'm Gonna Give It To You)" was co-produced with
GEORGE HARRISON and released as a 7" single on 30 January 1970 in the UK
on Apple 21. It's B-side "As I Get Older" is on the "That's The
Way God Planned It" CD reissue as a bonus (track 14) - both songs were
non-album at the time of release.
Track 16 is a new
bonus for this 2010 issue - the previously unreleased fully formed song -
"How Long Has the Train Been Gone". It was co-written with Bruce
Fisher, recorded in January 1970 and then later re-recorded for Preston's 1973
album on A&M Records - "Everybody Loves Some Kind Of Music" (he
would also re-record "When You Were Mine" for his 1976 A&M album
"Billy Preston").
BOOKLET/PACKAGING:
Noted writer and
music lover ANDY DAVIS does the new liner notes for the disappointingly weedy
12-page booklet (EMI pushes the boat out again people). But with what little
text he has been afforded, Davis does at least fill it with properly
informative details - and it's peppered with some very tasty full-page colour
photos of Preston from the time. No UK singles were issued around the record
(possibly why it disappeared so quick), but there is a full-page reproduction
of an advert for the American single of "My Sweet Lord" on Apple 1826
(it also names Radio Stations supporting the song).
PLAYERS:
The cast is
impressive (if not a little vague) - GEORGE HARRISON co-produced the entire
album with Preston, ERIC CLAPTON played guitar on 3 tracks - "Right
Now", "Use What You Got" and "Encouraging Words".
RINGO STARR and KLAUS VOORMAN are said to be on Drums and Bass respectively,
while DELANEY BRAMLETT also plays guitar on "Encouraging Words" with
Eric. The Rhythm Section for THE TEMPTATIONS are on there (Bass, Guitarist,
Drums) while members of SAM and DAVE'S band played Drums and Bass too. Both
MADELINE BELL and DORIS TROY provided beautiful soulful backing vocals (Doris
Troy's lone album on Apple "Doris Troy" was released the week earlier
- 4 September 1970) while the EDWIN HAWKINS SINGERS are on "My Sweet
Lord" and "Sing One For The Lord".
CONTENT:
Six of the 13 are
Billy Preston originals with "My Sweet Lord" and "All Things
(Must) Pass" being George Harrison compositions. "Let The Music
Play", "The Same Thing Again" and "Sing One For The
Lord" are co-writes with Jesse Kirkland, James Herndon and George Harrison
respectively. Which leaves two cover versions - The Beatles' "I've Got A
Feeling" and "You've Been Acting Strange" by Ronnie Lee Williams
(also covered by Merry Clayton on her 1970 "Gimme Shelter" album).
Unlike some of the other Apple issues, there are no extra tracks via download.
But the really big news is the SOUND...
SOUND:
The same team
that handled the much-praised 09/09/09 Beatles remasters have done this - GUY
MASSEY, STEVE ROOKES, PHIL HICKS and SIMON GIBSON. I always thought the initial
1993 reissue was dull-as-dishwater soundwise - well not so now because the
audio quality here is BEAUTIFUL - a massive improvement. It also makes you
reassess a lot of the songs and appreciate more Harrison's excellent production
contributions.
"Right
On" is a superb opener and sets the tone for the overall funky feel of the
album (surely it would have been a hit single). "When You Are Mine"
is a sweetheart too as is "Use What You Got" (with great wah-wah
guitar from Clapton). Very cool stuff. Conversely - the two most famous 'early
versions' of Harrison classics "My Sweet Lord" and "All Things
(Must) Pass" are the ones that work the least well for me. Not so the
stunning blues-soul of "The Same Thing Again" co-written with the
noted Gospel singer James Herndon - it's a monster. It had customers coming to
the counter in our shop wanting to know which 'Ray Charles' tune we were
playing (praise indeed).
"Encouraging
Words" is a brilliantly brassy dancer with a message for the 'kids' to be
kind, stay in school and don't get suckered (lyrics above). It really is so
good. The brass, the great production and the remaster combine to fill your
room with superlative soul-funk. But for me the absolute dog's undercarriage is
the fabulous Beatles-meets-Gospel "Sing One For The Lord" - Preston's
huge organ playing combines with the choir feel of the backing vocals, George's
meaty guitar riff and a lingering Sitar-sounding instrument called the Indian
Tamboura which floats over the whole thing - it's a stunning cross-pollination
of cultures and music and as close to post-Beatles magic as you can get.
Although a little
hissy - the new song "How Long Has The Train Been Gone" is a slow
soulful gem - it's fantastic - I can't believe its been lingering in vaults all
these years. And like the new bonus track "Something's Got To Change"
on the "That's The Way God Planned It" CD reissue (see separate
review) - it's that rarest thing, a genuine must-have bonus track.
Niggles - the
gatefold card sleeve is nice to look at for sure, but the booklet and overall
packaging feel lightweight (what EMI could get away with). The CD should have
one of those gauze inner bags to protect it - a problem that no record company
seems to want to acknowledge (scuffing and damage). They're minor points I
know, but worth making...
To sum up - I've
loved rehearing this forgotten peach of an album in this hugely improved sound
quality - Seventies Soul lovers 'need' to discover this great record. I'm also
reminded of crying uncontrollably when I saw Billy Preston play "Isn't It
A Pity" live with Eric Clapton and that fantastic band at the
"Concert For George" in The Royal Albert Hall in 2002 - magical. Too
many losses man...remember them and him this way...
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